DraftExpress All-Summer League: Second TeamJuly 24, 2007Listed generously at 6-1, Aaron Brooks came into the Summer League as a supporting player in the Houston Rockets’ point guard controversy. With two point guards, Mike James and Rafer Alston, already locked up, the Rockets shocked a lot of people by selecting Brooks with their 26th overall selection. In the days following the draft, it seemed inevitable that a deal would be announced, but nothing surfaced. Nearly a month later, Brooks has put himself firmly in the center of this situation by earning the T-Mobile Rookie of the Month Award in Vegas. With Steve Francis now entering the picture for Houston, it is clear that they will be making another move, but the question is: will it include Brooks?

No one may have proven more during this Summer League than Aaron Brooks. He showed the shot making ability and range of a seasoned NBA player. Brooks can punish opponents when left open, and was lights-out from three-point range all week. Brooks’ ability to hit the NBA three should fit in well next to Tracy McGrady should the two ever get the chance to play together. One thing that Brooks did show in Vegas was a propensity to take off balance shots from the perimeter. On the vast majority of his touches, Brooks either broke his man down off the dribble or shot the ball before his man could get a hand up.

What made Brooks’ offense game seem so seasoned was the way he used his quickness in Houston’s offense. He moved surprisingly well off the ball, freeing himself by using screens and cutting backdoor for open looks at an alarming rate. This uncanny ability to create separation made Brooks’ lack of height a non-factor, which is a very promising sign for a player of his stature. However, he couldn’t compensate for his size around the rim. He got to the rim with little resistance, but wasn’t finishing as consistently as Nate Robinson or Jose Juan Barea. He doesn’t have touch like Barea or explosiveness like Robinson, but falls somewhere between the two. He will need to develop a go to move when driving to the rim to be effective on the NBA level.

As a point guard, Brooks showed some inconsistency, interspersing his good decisions with bad ones. His turnover numbers were somewhat misleading, as his teammates dropped a handful of passes around the rim that a player like Yao Ming would have gobbled up easily. His teammates don’t shoulder all of blame for his turnovers though, as Brooks made showed his lack of maturity frequently. At times, Brooks almost seemed to be in too big of a hurry going to the rim, leading to poor decisions with the ball. These problems will be remedied over time as Brooks gains experience and learns how to finish without needing as much space as he was trying to create by rushing to the rim.

Brooks showed above average intensity on the defense end, but didn’t create a lot of turnovers. At this juncture, it appears that Rafer Alston and John Lucas III are the two most likely candidates to leave Houston, leaving Brooks playing the role of third point guard. With James and Francis occasionally playing at the two, Brooks could even see the minutes of a backup. While Brooks earned more playing time than anyone could have expected in Vegas, he still faces an uphill battle for time in Houston. [Read Full Article]Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Final RecapJune 4, 2007Brooks isn’t a true point guard, no matter what people might have been saying during the regular season when Oregon was on its run. But when viewed from a different angle, as a complementary scoring guard, Brooks has a bit more appeal as a professional. The former Duck didn’t knock anyone’s socks off in Orlando, but did put in the solid type of effort that will get him a few more looks in the 2nd round.

The first thing to come away with from his play here is just how impressive Brooks is on the defensive end. He has always been jet-quick, but this really showed on the defensive end in Orlando. Brooks knocked down Dominic James a couple of pegs in day one, easily staying in front of him every time James tried to take the ball to the basket and shockingly looking a step quicker. Brooks is by no means thick, but had enough muscle to really bother most of the point guards in this camp in their attempts to initiate the offense.

Brooks’ own scoring was a bit of a mixed bag. He was able to get to the basket occasionally, but his lack of size showed when attempting to finish at the rim. He didn’t really make much of an impact as an outside shooter, either. But for all the limitations we saw from Brooks during the regular season, he actually ran his team’s offense pretty well here. It is hard to say how much interest there will be in a 5’11 (that’s being generous) combo guard, but Brooks certainly helped himself here. He certainly has a handful of NBA-caliber tools that could allow him to stick in the right situation, as long as his attitude holds up. [Read Full Article]Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Day FourJune 3, 2007Aaron Brooks had another solid performance in what has been a pretty good camp overall for him, scoring the ball well as he’s been known to do, but not doing much in terms of creation for teammates. Brooks did a good job hitting from long range, pulling up for a transition three on one occasion and making it look very easy, something most people are familiar with him doing. He also hit on a spot-up three-pointer, though he did miss on another pull-up attempt, airballing it badly. Brooks scored his other points by taking the ball to the basket, scoring on a nice left-handed drive where he adjusted at the rim and scored with his right hand on a full extension. Brooks also drew some fouls taking the ball to the basket, and hit on a right-handed floater off a cut.

In terms of passing the ball, Brooks didn’t have the impact you’d hope, as he’s still very much a scoring point guard first. He made a nice misdirection play where he fazed his defender and made a nice pass to a cutter for an assit, and got his other assist off a drive-and-dish pass on the baseline.

Defensively, Brooks was trying hard, and has displayed good lateral quickness here, but he bit on a few fakes in this game. Brooks helped his stock here at Orlando by playing well and doing a bit of nice distributing while playing solid defense, but it’s still tough to say how much of an impact he’ll have in the NBA, or if he’ll surely get drafted. He could always catch on somewhere as a three-point shooting specialist, contributing in some other ways as well, but he still has some work to do to be a full-time point guard in the NBA. [Read Full Article]Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Day ThreeJune 1, 2007While there are plenty of differing opinions on the professional future of Aaron Brooks, it is hard to argue with his solid play thus far in Orlando. Brooks’ future as a pure point guard has always been in doubt, but the former Oregon Duck has actually done a decent job of running his team’s offense over the first two days. He completely outplayed Dominic James yesterday, and got the better of longtime rival Mustafa Shakur in this morning’s action. Brooks got into the lane virtually at will, and did a good job of distributing the ball in pick and roll situations. He showed much more of a willingness to give up the ball in the halfcourt as well.

Brooks hasn’t exploded as a scorer yet, as he couldn’t finish on a handful of flashy drives to the basket. Brooks’ lack of size is a serious concern for any team looking to bring him on as an energizer type lead guard, but he may have the speed to make up for it. Just as impressive was his continued attention to the defensive end, where he did a good job of staying in front of Mustafa Shakur.

No, Brooks isn’t going to be a starting point guard for an NBA team someday. But he has managed to play under control, run an offense effectively, and play aggressive defense here. This could warrant a roster spot on an NBA team looking for pace pusher for the end of the bench… [Read Full Article]Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Day TwoMay 30, 2007This was a solid start for Oregon’s Aaron Brooks, although maybe not quite as solid as the box-score would indicate. Brooks used to quickness to put pressure on the defense and get into the paint, driving and dishing along the way or pulling up off the dribble for a jumper or short floater. He showed off his court vision on one occasion by threading the needle on a gorgeous pass right through the defense into the hands of Kyle Visser for a layup, but also looked a bit out of control at times getting caught for a charge while barreling his way through the lane. Brooks did a nice job scoring a few buckets once the game got out of hand, and by the end of the game finished up with a respectable stat-line [Read Full Article]West Coast Swing: Day 6 (Jermareo Davidson, Aaron Brooks, etc)May 26, 2007While Taurean Green looked just average in the drills and then was very impressive in the five on five pickup game, the opposite could be said for the two day showing that Aaron Brooks put in while we were in attendance.

Regardless of the setting, though, Brooks has superb quickness and outstanding ability to shift gears and keep his man off balance. He handles the ball on a string and can get into the paint with the greatest of ease, being able to finish plays in many different ways, particularly with a very nice tear drop in the lane. His shot wasn’t falling consistently for him, but he obviously has solid shooting mechanics and more than enough touch to just throw the ball in the basket from NBA range and beyond, even if he abuses his shot at times.

Running his team in the pick-up game, Brooks did just a so-so job, especially in the half-court setting. He pushes the ball up the floor like a pro and is nearly impossible to keep out of transition once he receives a good outlet pass, but once slowed to a standstill he struggles with his decision making and has a tendency to force some very tough shots. He seemed to lack focus at times and complain an awful lot when things didn’t go his way. Brooks will play in the pre-draft camp and has a chance to help his stock big time there with a good showing. He has all the talent in the world to do so, and then some. In the right situation, he could certainly find a niche for himself. [Read Full Article]NCAA Tournament: NBA Draft Stock Watch (Elite Eight, Sunday games)March 27, 2007The main reason Oregon managed to stay in this game for as long as they did was the play of their prolific combo guard Aaron Brooks. Malik Hairston carried the Ducks early on, but once Brooks got going, he was nearly impossible to contain for the Florida defense.

As the Gators quickly found out, Brooks is about as pure a scorer as you’ll find. His release is lightning quick and his range extends out to the NBA 3-point line, meaning his shot needs to be respected if you don’t want to get burned. The problem is, he’s also a terrific ball-handler with a phenomenal first step and exquisite body control, meaning you really just have to pick your poison when trying to defend him. Once he gets into the paint, don’t let his tiny stature mislead you. He has absolutely no fear of taking the ball at the hoop with reckless abandon, challenging shot-blockers along the way and finding ways to score instinctively off the glass.

What really hurts Brooks is that at times he just doesn’t even consider that fact that he has four other teammates on his squad that might also want to touch the ball once every couple of possessions. Even when he’s being well defended, he lowers his shoulder and just tries to make something out of nothing, which results in some awful shots that often lead to transition buckets on the other end. All too often he just brings the ball up the floor and jacks up a shot with 28 seconds left on the shot-clock, before his coach has even managed to get his hand in the air to try and call a play. In the Turkish or Israeli league they’ll probably love him for that, but in the NBA he’s just not anywhere near good enough to have that kind of mentality.

Brooks dominated the ball for Oregon, even though Ernie Kent made sure to let Tajuan Porter bring it up the floor and actually try to run some half-court offense before his very effective one-man show was unleashed. He used nearly 50% more possessions than any other player, but scored fairly efficiently this time around. With Oregon in foul trouble and no one else really stepping up, Brooks really kept them in the game for large stretches. At some point, though, Florida caught on, deciding to funnel him into their shot-blockers where Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and even Corey Brewer awaited. Brooks is quick, but he’s still only around 5-11 at best, so he’s going to struggle going up against NBA caliber shot-blockers like he faced against Florida.

How much Brooks helped himself with this game is somewhat debatable. He showed that he can score at will while ignoring his teammates and settling for bad shots (that tonight went in), but he didn’t show anything resembling point guard skills, despite his four assists. He also could not contain either of the players he was trying to defend in Lee Humphrey or Taurean Green, giving up almost just as many points as he was scoring himself. If he lands on the right team (Golden State for example) he will probably be fine, but not many NBA coaches will put up with his style of play [Read Full Article]NCAA Tournament: Stock Watch (round of 32, Sunday)--Stock Down/NeutralMarch 19, 2007Oregon came out firing from downtown in their second round win over Winthrop, and Brooks led the charge for the Ducks. The sharp shooting senior knocked down 5 shots from beyond the arc in leading all scorers in the game. Brooks was able to get good lucks from the outside thanks to his constant movement around the perimeter and quick release. He got the rest of his sharp shooting teammates involved as well, spearheading the Ducks’ ball movement around the outside. Despite Brooks’ solid job of distributing the basketball, he didn’t record an assist, which was very odd considering how well Oregon shot the ball.

Brooks gave Winthrop fits on the perimeter with his lightning quick first step. He is one of the fastest players in the country and it is very hard to keep him from getting into the lane when he wants to, which was the case on Sunday. Brooks did a good job finishing in the paint, hitting on a couple of running one handed shots over taller players.

The most encouraging thing about Brooks’ performance was how he protected the basketball. His single turnover was below his average which is over two for the season, but even when his turnover numbers have been low, Brooks has had a tendency to throw some wild passes. Against Winthrop however, Brooks maintained control of the basketball for the entire game, exhibiting great accuracy with his passes.

This game shouldn’t have much of an effect on Brooks’ stock. He shot the ball very well, and had some explosive moves to the basket, things we knew he could do on a regular basis. He played the game more like a shooting guard than a point guard, which at times has also been a tendency of his. Brooks has a chance to land himself in the NBA as a second round pick, but he really needs to improve his point guard skills if he wants to last in the league. [Read Full Article]NCAA Weekly Performers, 1/31/07-- Part TwoFebruary 1, 2007Oregon’s Aaron Brooks has improved his draft stock just as much, if not more than any 2007 draft prospect so far. The diminutive point guard has gone from an underachieving McDonald’s All American to a potential candidate for College Player of the Year, all in the span of one exhilarating half-season at Oregon. After leading his team to a 13-0 start and beating then #1 UCLA on a dramatic game-winning shot, that was probably the point where we should have started talking about Brooks in hindsight.

The energetic Brooks has proven this year that despite having a reputation as a selfish player, one can turn it around if placed in the right situation. The numbers back this claim up as well, as he has averaged 19.1 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals while shooting nearly 49% from the field, 86% from the line, and 41% from three point territory. It has truly been a dream year for a player who prematurely ended his season last year by despicably elbowing Washington’s Ryan Appleby in the face during the PAC-10 Tournament.

Brooks has established himself as the creator in a perimeter oriented Ducks lineup that consists of guards Bryce Taylor, Tajuan Porter, Malik Hairston, and forward Marty Leunen. He is easily one of the five quickest players on the college level, allowing him to penetrate against just about any guard he is matched up with. He combines his incredible quickness with shooting range that extends well beyond the NBA three point line, and he shows no hesitance whatsoever to pull the trigger if he feels disrespected by the daylight he is seeing. A lightning bug guard who can shoot the hell out of the ball is always going to be a tough player to defend, to say the least.

While Aaron’s point guard skills are not what we would call outstanding by any means, they have consistently improved over his tenure at Oregon to the point that he is now able to lead a team into elite status while distributing the ball enough to keep everyone marginally happy. His vision and ability to find the open man is also above average, although his natural point guard instincts and ability to run a team are not quite what you would hope for.

Although Brooks has improved as a point guard throughout the years, he still constantly pounds the ball for entire possessions, takes bad shots and looks to shoot first before passing the ball to his teammates, leaving the question in mind if he will be able to conform to the role of set up man in the NBA. His lack of ideal size (surely somewhere around 5’11) is also a concern, as he struggles a bit defensively against some of the bigger guards in the PAC-10. While he has the quickness to defend opposing point men, they are simply able to outmuscle him with the slightest nudge or out jump him and get shots up over him with ease.

If Oregon is able to continue their magical season deep into March, it is surely not out of the question to see Brooks find himself somewhere in the second round come draft time, possibly even higher depending on just how far they go. His play is the primary factor of the Ducks’ success, so we will see how far he is able to carry him as the season goes on. While Aaron is not a sure-fire draftee by any means at the moment, he is certainly a solid prospect due to his combination of blazing quickness and explosive scoring ability. [Read Full Article]